Role of media in a democracy

Introduction Democracy means "A system of government in which all the people of a country can vote to elect their representatives". Media came into existence in 1780 with the introduction of a newspaper namely " he !engal "a#ette" and since then it has matured leaps and $ounds. %t has $een playing a very important role in shaping human minds. Role of media Media plays a crucial role in shaping a healthy democracy. %t is the $ac&$one of a democracy. Media ma&es us aware of various social' political and economical activities happening around the world. %t is li&e a mirror' which shows us or strives to show us the $are truth and harsh realities of life. he media has undou$tedly evolved and $ecome more active over the years. %t is the media only who reminds politicians a$out their unfulfilled promises at the time of elections. .( news channels) excessive coverage during elections helps people' especially illiterates' in electing the right person to the power. his reminder compels politicians to $e up to their promises in order to remain in power. elevision and radio have made a significant achievement in educating rural illiterate masses in ma&ing them aware of all the events in their language. *overage of exploitative malpractices of village heads and moneylenders has helped in ta&ing stringent actions against them $y attracting government)s attention. he media also exposes loopholes in the democratic system' which ultimately helps government in filling the vacuums of loopholes and ma&ing a system more accounta$le' responsive and citi#en+friendly. A democracy without media is li&e a vehicle without wheels. %n the age of information technology we are $om$arded with information. ,e get the pulse of the world events with -ust a clic& of a mouse. he flow of information has increased manifolds. he perfect $lend of technology and human resources .-ournalist/ has not left a single stone unturned in unearthing rampant corruption in politics and society. ,e all are well aware of what tehel&a did. han&s to technology that has $rought a &ind of revolution in -ournalism. Impact of media he impact of media is really noteworthy. 0xcessive coverage or hype of sensitive news has led to communal riots at times. he illiterates are more prone to provocations than the literates. *onstant repetition of the news' especially sensational news' $reeds apathy and insensitivity. 1or instance' %n Dhanan-oy *hatter-ee case' the overloaded hype led to death of 2uite a few children who imitated the hanging procedure which was repeatedly shown in most of the .(. news channels. here is a plethora of such negative impacts. Media should ta&e utmost care in airing or pu$lishing such sensational news. *ommerciali#ation has created a stiff competition in media. %n order to outdo each other print media has often gone one step further in pu$lishing articles' cover stories' etc. on sex. Media experts say this is one of the means of attracting readers who are glued to .(. news channels' which have cropped up swiftly in a recent past and they $elieve this is a cheap form of -ournalism. Conclusion 3o one is perfect in this world and so is the media. 4ere % am not degrading the media' rather % would say there is still a lot of scope for improvement $y which media can raise up to the aspirations of the people for which it is meant. % cannot thin& of a democracy without active and neutral media. Media is li&e a watchdog in a democracy that &eeps government active. 1rom $eing -ust an informer it has $ecome an integral part of our daily lives. ,ith the passage of time it has $ecome a more matured and a more responsi$le entity. he present media revolution has helped people in ma&ing an informed decisions and this has led to $eginning of a new era in a democracy.